Examining the State of Communication about Sexual and Reproductive Health Information Between Youth with Disability and Healthcare Providers

Abstract Background The impact of COVID-19 is weighing heavily on many African countries. As of November 14th 2021, 6,109,722 cases had been recorded with 151,173 deaths and 2.5% case fatality rate. Studies reveal substantial morbidity and socioeconomic impacts when accessing quality maternal healthcare including fear of infection and the containment measures in place, including social distancing and community containment. The pandemic has put additional strain on healthcare systems that are overburdened and under-resourced even in normal times and has exposed the vulnerabilities of high-risk population groups in addressing critical healthcare concerns. This study presents a mini review of how COVID-19 has disrupted maternal healthcare in Africa, and it further proposes ways to improve the situation. Main body COVID-19 has disrupted antenatal, skilled birth, and postnatal family planning services. Women and girls are vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 on several fronts and represent a group whose needs including antenatal, skilled birth, and postnatal family planning services have been disrupted, leading to unmet needs for contraception and an increase in unintended pregnancies. Restricted travel due to the fear and anxiety associated with contracting COVID-19 has resulted in delays in accessing prompt skilled care and essential healthcare services such as pregnancy care, immunisation, and nutritional supplementation. Misconceptions relating to COVID-19 have prompted concerns and created distrust in the safety of the healthcare system. Innovative measures are required to address these obstacles and ensure women are not denied access to available, accessible, acceptable, and quality maternal healthcare services in spite of COVID-19. Conclusions In the immediate term while physical distancing measures remain in force, deliberate effort must be made to provide evidence-based guidelines, good practice and expert advice that addresses the unique sexual and reproductive health context of African countries. Efforts to train and motivate healthcare providers to adopt online, remote approaches such as use of telemedicine, and expand the involvement of frontline maternal healthcare providers to deliver information on the availability of services through phone-based referral networks, culturally appropriate social media, community radio and folklore messaging strategies are critical to mobilise and secure community confidence in the safety of sexual and reproductive health and maternal care services.

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Effects of mobile health education on sexual and reproductive health information among female school-going adolescents of rural Thailand

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.53007.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 452

Author(s):

Premyuda Narkarat ◽

Surasak Taneepanichskul ◽

Ramesh Kumar ◽

Ratana Somrongthong

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Health Education ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Secondary School ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Health Information ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

Female Students ◽

The Mean ◽

Rural Thailand

Background: Adolescent pregnancy is one of the major public health issues globally, as well as in Thailand. Sexual health literacy (SHL) has been a proved effective intervention for preventing teenage pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mobile messages to improve sexual and reproductive health literacy among secondary school female students. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study with pre–post design was conducted in two secondary schools of rural Thailand. 128 respondents were selected through a simple random sampling method; equal number of female secondary school students were selected from each school. Health education through mobile messages on sexual and reproductive health literacy were delivered in one group while the other group was observed through routine care for 24 weeks. Baseline (pre) and endline (post) measurement was taken to compare the effects of mobile messages. Study was ethically approved by the institutional review board of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Results: Both groups were same at baseline and found statistically non-significant (p>0.05). After the 24-week health education program, the mean scores of health education groups was found statistically significant (p<0.05), while the mean score in observed group did not show any statistical change (p>0.05) . Level of sexual health literacy scores among female students in the health education group was found statistically significant (p<0.05) in all four domains. While, the observation group was remained same at both measurements pre and post (p=0.521). Conclusion: The study concluded that the mobile messages have proved an effective information method for sexual and reproductive health information among female secondary students of rural Thailand.

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Sexual and Reproductive Health Information: Disparities Across Sexual Orientation Groups in Two Cohorts of US Women

Sexuality Research and Social Policy ◽

10.1007/s13178-020-00485-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ariella R. Tabaac ◽

Sebastien Haneuse ◽

Michelle Johns ◽

Andy S.L. Tan ◽

S. Bryn Austin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Orientation ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Health Information ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health

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BARRIERS TO SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION IN ZIMBABWE

Human Rights Documents Online ◽

10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-9211-20180096 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Health ◽

Health Information ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health

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Assessment in the primary care of the State of São Paulo, Brazil: incipient actions in sexual and reproductive health

Revista de Saúde Pública ◽

10.11606/s1518-8787.2017051006711 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mariana Arantes Nasser ◽

Maria Ines Battistella Nemes ◽

Marta Campagnoni Andrade ◽

Rogério Ruscitto do Prado ◽

Elen Rose Lodeiro Castanheira

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

The State ◽

São Paulo ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Primary Health

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to assess performance in sexual and reproductive health of primary health care services of the Brazilian Unified Health System, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS An evaluative framework was built for sexual and reproductive health with the categorization of 99 indicators in three domains: sexual and reproductive health promotion (25), sexually transmitted infections/AIDS prevention and care (43), and reproductive health care (31). This framework was applied to assess the services responses to the questionnaire of Quality Evaluation of Primary Health Care in the Municipalities of São Paulo State (QualiAB), in 2010. Percentages were calculated for positive responses to indicators and performance in the sexual and reproductive health dimension, according to domains, and their contribution to the overall score in sexual and reproductive health (Friedman), relative participation (Dunn), and correlation (Spearman) was verified. RESULTS Overall, 2,735 services participated in the study. They were located in 586 municipalities (distributed throughout the 17 regional health departments of São Paulo), of which 70.6% had fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. The overall average performance of these services for sexual and reproductive health is 56.8%. The actions are characterized by: prenatal with adequate beginning and exams, better organization for immediate rather than for late postnatal care, and selective reproductive planning for some contraceptives; prevention based on specific protection, limitations in the prevention of congenital syphilis, in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and in the screening of cervical and breast cancer; specific educational activities, with a restricted vulnerability approach, focus on sexuality over reproduction. The domain of reproductive health has greater participation in the overall score, followed by prevention/care and promotion. The three domains are correlated; the domain of prevention/care has the highest correlation with the other ones. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of sexual and reproductive health in primary health care in the services studied is incipient. The revision of the purpose of the work, the dissemination of technologies, and the investing in permanent education are needed. The evaluative framework built can be used by the sexual and reproductive health program services and management in primary health care, thereby contributing to their actions.

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